For instance, during the June 6, 1944, D-Day landings at Omaha Beach, engineers cleared a path through German fortifications to help GIs escape the murderous enemy fire and move beyond the beach. Army combat engineers played vital roles in many notable World War II actions. These included demolition “satchel” charges, Bangalore torpedoes (explosive-filled pipes to clear barbed-wire obstacles), mine detectors, bridging materials (for foot, pontoon and steel-framed Bailey bridges), and an array of construction equipment, from axes to bulldozers. In addition to infantry small arms, World War II combat engineers employed a range of weapons and specialized equipment to accomplish their mobility and countermobility missions. Combat engineers were also trained to fight as infantrymen and often did so in emergency situations on the battlefield.
Countermobility operations blocked or impeded enemy advances and included actions such as laying minefields, constructing fortifications for defending troops, or blowing bridges to stop enemy attacks. The mobility operations conducted by the engineers facilitated the forward movement of friendly forces and included actions such as breaching obstacles, destroying enemy strongpoints, and constructing roads and bridges. As Field Manual 21-105: Engineer Soldier’s Handbook (June 2, 1943) explained to trainees: “You are going to make sure that our own troops move ahead against all opposition, and you are going to see to it that enemy obstacles do not interfere with our advance. The mission of World War II combat engineers (known as “sappers” or “pioneers” in other armies) was three-fold: mobility operations countermobility operations and, when necessary, to fight as infantrymen. Both on the attack and on the defense, engineers led the way. The 700 engineer battalions mobilized during the war repeatedly proved to be vital components to Allied victory on all fronts. Army combat engineers were at the spearhead of fighting in all theaters, whether the battlefield was North Africa’s desert sands, Normandy’s fire-swept Omaha Beach, the Ardennes’ snowclad forest, or the Pacific’s jungle-covered islands. On the attack or on the defense, engineers led the way!ĭuring World War II, U.S.